President Trump: It's Time to Seek New Leadership in Iran

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, states that the 'Ayatollah' is guilty for 'completely destroying his country' and that 'it is time to seek new leadership in Iran.' In an interview with Politico on Saturday, January 17, 2025, regarding Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, President Trump said: 'His guilt as a leader of a country is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before.' After observing hostile and threatening messages from the leader of the Islamic Republic, he added: 'For the country to continue functioning, even if this performance is at a very low level, leadership must focus on properly managing its country - just like I do with the United States - and not kill thousands of people to maintain its power.' The U.S. President described Khamenei as 'a sick man who must manage his country properly and stop killing people. His country is the worst place to live in the world due to weak leadership.' Hours earlier, the Persian page of the U.S. State Department reacted to recent claims and threats from Islamic Republic officials regarding targeting U.S. bases, warning that Tehran should not play games with the U.S. President. The Persian account of the State Department on X wrote on Saturday, January 17: 'We have heard reports that the Islamic Republic is preparing options to target American bases. As President Trump has repeatedly emphasized, all options remain on the table, and if the Islamic Republic regime attacks American assets, it will face a very, very powerful response. We have said this before and we say it again: do not play games with President Trump.' This statement came just hours after remarks by Ali Khamenei, who described the nationwide protests in Iran, referred to as a 'revolution' by protesters, as an 'American sedition' and claimed the goal of these protests is to 'devour Iran.' Meanwhile, from the early days of the spontaneous protests in the Tehran market and other cities, the main slogans of the people were directly against the Islamic Republic and its leader, with protesters chanting slogans like 'Death to the Dictator' to express their opposition to the entire ruling system. The leader of the Islamic Republic also attempted to downplay the protests by citing religious references, claiming that even during the time of the first Imam of Shia Islam, there was 'soft warfare' and that the representative of God cannot do anything without the people's support. However, reports and videos have emerged showing that forces under Khamenei's command, on his direct orders, shot directly at protesters on Thursday and Friday nights, killing thousands in various cities. Khamenei also claimed that Americans had planned these events and that their ultimate goal was to dominate Iran. Following several days of widespread public protests and increasing calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, Donald Trump warned that if the Islamic Republic shoots at peaceful gatherings of the people, the U.S. will respond. Khamenei also mentioned the crackdown, stating, 'Thank God many of the seditionists have been arrested,' and claimed that security forces 'performed well.' However, images and videos sent from inside Iran show that security agents violently carried out indiscriminate arrests and, using military weapons, machine guns, and direct fire, killed thousands of protesters. The Islamic Republic cut off the internet after beginning the bloody crackdown on Thursday night. CBS News estimates the number of casualties in the Iranian uprising to be between 12,000 and 20,000, which starkly contrasts with the official narrative of the Islamic Republic and Khamenei's claims of 'successful performance' by security forces.